Archive for August, 2009

On August 18th, the Upper Shores branch hosted a silent film screening with live piano accompaniment. The talented John Caliendo, local high school student, provided live piano accompaniment to some of the Silent Film era’s favorite comedy flicks, featuring Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Molly Malone, and more. Popcorn was served, the crowds were laughing as they stepped back in time, and the night ended with a loud round of applause!

TOMS RIVER – The Ocean County Library Commissioners appointed Susan Quinn as director of the 21-location system August 11. She replaces Elaine McConnell who served in that capacity for twenty-five years.

Quinn began her Ocean County Library career as a children’s librarian in Lakewood. She has served as branch manager at Berkeley and the headquarters location in Toms River prior to her appointment as Library Director. She has also represented Ocean County Library at several national and regional conferences.

Quinn is a graduate of Gettysburg College (Pa.) and earned her Master’s degree in library and information services from Rutgers University (NJ.) She has also completed the national Certified Public Manager program.

Before joining Ocean County Library, Quinn worked at the ESPN sports network; The Foundation Center, an authority on organizational philanthropy; and was a consultant for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (now Capgemini) a management consulting and professional services firm. She is the president of the Omicron Chapter of Beta Phi Mu, the international honor society founded to recognize and encourage scholastic achievement among library and information studies students.

Upper Shores has been blessed with the musical talents of Thomas Louttit. Thomas gives guitar lessons free here on Wednesday nights and in return, we allowed him to play our piano! A summer patron from Arizona was so enthralled by Thomas’s playing and that the library was allowing his impromptu entertainment that he taped the experience to show his friends back in Arizona what an extraordinary library we have here!

On August 7th, the Barnegat SAIL volunteers helped run “The Wonderful World of Duct Tape” for other local teens and tweens. Working out of the books “Got Tape?” and “Ductigami”, teens went beyond the typical wallet layout to express themselves in a variety of ways! Projects ranged from flip-flops to hula skirts and purses using just duct tape and cardboard. Volunteer Justin Weiss acted as a guide to the world of duct tape creations and even gave an interview to the Beacon newspaper about its many uses!

A video of the program was taken by Asbury Park Press and can be seen here.

Manchester branch kicked off August with ’60s Week! The band “Strictly ’60s” rocked out to tunes from the Beatles, Stones, and Doors to an audience of 175 patrons.The fun-filled week included 60s Jeopardy with Lou Nemphos as Alex Trebek, Beatles Day with the Utlimate Beatles Quiz, ’60s Movie Day with showings of “Funny Girl” and “13 Days,” Baseball in the ’60s and Woodstock Rock Band. The week concluded with ’60s karaoke where 30 patrons and our own Sabrina La Spata singing “Hey Jude” and doing cartwheels in front of our new book section!

Lindsey Dank from Didgeridoo Down Under presented a two-part Australia-themed program Saturday, August 8 at the Little Egg Harbor branch.

During the first program he presented information about Australia to young children and wove in stories that highlighted his message. For instance did you know that there are no bears in Australia? So it is incorrect to call those cute, furry animals koala bears. The arboreal marsupials are well suited to tree life.

Lindsey also demonstrated the didgeridoo, a musical instrument that was created by Australia’s aboriginal people.

During the second program Lindsey taught the audience how to play the didgeridoo, using a 3-foot length of 1 inch-diameter PVC pipe (thin walled variety.) The substitute didgeridoo is easy to make and he recommends a person clean the mouth-end with alcohol before each session. He also suggests the application of painter’s tape (not duct tape because it is too sticky) to the mouth-end.
The bass-notes are created by buzzing one’s lips when they are “tucked” into the mouth-piece.

He also demonstrated ways the player can alter the instrument’s sounds through different vocalizations.

Lindsey’s lessons are meant to provide a starting point for people to have fun and impress their friends. But it takes practice.

The Point Pleasant Borough branch celebrated its 20th anniversary Saturday August 8 with a country fair atmosphere that included an array of activities, music, contests, games and food.

On January 15, 1989 the Point Pleasant Borough branch became the fifteenth branch in the system and first branch to open under “Partners in Progress” program. The program, conceived by the late James T. Mancini where costs where split between the municipality and the county, lead to the expansion of the system making it the largest library system in the state.

Noteworthy and interesting facts from 1989
The Exxon Valdez oil spill, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Tiananmen Square Protests topped the news.
Average Cost of new house $120,000.00
Average Income per year $27,450.00
Average Monthly Rent $420.00
Average Price for new car $15, 350.00
1 gallon of gas 97 cents
US Postage Stamp 25 cents